Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1887-12-09
About Elephants.

! Lazy and clumsy-lookihg as the eie'
phsnt appears in our menageries, where
il is merely an object Of curiosity, In
I Asia 1t is as useful an animal as the
horse, and Is, indeed, employed In
greater variety Of ways.
There are few, IL any, tasks which a
horse can be trusted to perform without
careful and constant guidance; whereas
the elephant Is frequently given as
much independence Of action As man
would have for the same work. This
Is notably the case in the lumber-yards
of Rangoon and Msulmein, where the
entire operation of moving and piling
! the heavy timber is performed by male
elephants without special supervision
by the keepers.
The logs TO be moved are teakwood
which is very heavy. They are cut
in:o lengths of twenty feet. with n diam
eter or perhaps square OF about foot.
An elephant will 20 to n log, kneel
down, thrust his tusks under the middle
of il, curl his trunk over it, test IL TO see
that il is evenly balanced, and then
rise with IL and easily carry IL TO the
pile which Is being made. Placing the
log carefully on the pile in It's proper
place, the sagacious animal will step
back few PAGES aud measure with his
eye 10 determine whether or not the log
needs pushing one way or another. IL
will then make any necessary alteration
uf position. In this way, without a
word Of command from It's mabout, or
driver. il will 20 on with its work.
To do any special task, It must OF
course, be directed bv the mshout; but
ii l. marvellous TO see how readily this
great creature comprchends It's instruc-
tons aud how ingeniously II makes use
OF its strength. Ii log too heavy to
be carried l. to be moved short dis.
lance, the elephan. will bend low, place
his great head against the end Of the log
aud then with sudden exertlon OF
strength and weight throw his body
forward aud fairly push the log along;
or, to move the log any great distance,
he will encircle 1t with chain aud drag
his load behind him.
As II rule, however, the work OF drag
ging Is done by the female elephants,
since, having no tusks, they cannot
carry logs as the male elephants do. A
man could hardly display more judg-
ment IL the adjustment Of the rope or
chain around log, nor could man
with his two hands tie and unite knots
more skillfully than they do with their
trunks.
How the young elephants, In the large
herds, escape from being brushed, Is
something OF mystery, as they arc
almost continually la motion; but when
herd is alarmed. the young almost
Immediately disappear. A close OBJ
server would see that each baby was
trotling along directly beneath Its
mother, sometimes between her fore
legs.
On the march, when a little elephant
Is born In herd, they stop day or
two 10 allow IL time TO exercise us little
limbs and gain strength, and then they
press on, the mothers and babies In
froEt, the old tuskers following In the
rear, but ready TO rush forward at the
first alarm. When rocky or billy places
are reached, the little ones are helped
up by the mothers, who push them
from behind and In various ways; but
when river has to be forded or swum,
a comical sight ensues.
The stream may be very rapid and
rough, as the Indian rivers often are after
rain, and at such a place the babies
would hardly be able to keep up with
the rest; SO the mothers aud fathers
help them. At first all plunge boldly
in-both young and old--and when the
old elephants reach deep water, where
they have 70 swim, the young scramble
upon their backgand sit astride, some
times TWO being seen Ia this position.
But the very young elephants often re-
quire a little more care and attention,
so they are held either upon the tusks
of the father or grasped In the trunk Of
the mother, and held over or just at the
surface Of the water. Such q sight 10 o
curious one, TO say the least-tbe great
elephants almost hidden beneath the
water, here and there a young one
seemingly walking on the water, rest
ing upon submerged back, or held
aloft while the dark waters Ioar below.
ST. Nicholas.